The lady even showed me AFTER photos on her phone, so I would fully understand what I was in for. Omg I was willing to give anything a go!

The lady sterilised and heated up 8 glass cups (they looked like they were straight from The Reject Shop Outdoor Lighting Section) and placed them ALL OVER MY BARE BOTTOM.

I looked like a… firefly?

I coughed. And my bum wobbled a bit and made all the glasses clink-clink together like a cheers boomerang haha.

The massage was 60 minutes. It felt awesome. It hurt so freaking much as she manipulated all the muscles in my lower back and hip and I almost cried.

The cupping was 15 minutes. It felt awkward.

Overall, I didn’t like the feel of it. It felt too tight across the surface of my skin and the “pulling” effect didn’t seem to go into the deep tissue (where the pain was).

But worst of all, I had deep, dark, and I mean really DAAAARKKK beetroot red-purple-almost black dots on my bum. I looked like a ladybug!

(Yes yes, I saw the photos, I knew what I was in for.)

They were painless, but SOOOooooOOOooooo dark and red.

I was quite embarrassed by them. I didn’t want to wear shorts, swimsuits, or low rise anything that would exposed my hip… in case they would peek out from under my clothes.

For 7 days I was TERRIFIED that I would have the dotty marks on my skin FOREVER, and that I had TOTALLY RUINED my chances of a swimwear modelling career (only kidding) and that I had permanently ruptured all the capillaries in my butt.

After 10 days they all disappeared – thank goodness!

I did take a photo of the marks/bruises (on my bottom), but they were definitely NOT for appropriate for sharing!

I know cupping is an ancient, alternative therapy… unfortunately I didn’t feel much benefit from it. While it didn’t hurt, I felt that the subsequent bruises were too inconvenient and stressful for me… so I won’t be doing it again!

I ate soooo much over the Christmas break. So much ham. So much chicken.

And like every good new year cliche, I decided to end the year doing something positive – rather than ending up a food coma!

It’s been 9 months (I think) since I’ve been to a hot yoga class. I was very surprised that I could keep up with the instructor. I did quite well! So happy!

But I forgot about all the sweat. Omg the sweat!

Imagine someone using a water spray bottle and squirting it into your armpits, until the water is dripping – no trickling – like a little stream, down your body, puddling in your bra strap. It’s such a weird sensation.

And who would have thought that sweat was so salty?!

It was pouring down my face, dripping into the corners of my mouth (Bleh! I was drinking my own sweat! You can’t really spit on the ground in class! Gotta sip it up! Eeew!). And my eyes too. I was wincing in pain from the salt stinging my eyes, making my vision blurry. I tried to wipe my eyes with my shoulder, but my shoulder, my forearm, the back of my hands were all soaking wet.

I was pretty much having a shower in my own sweat.

But you know, it all isn’t that bad.

The ultimate gross-ness is AFTER the class: It’s when I am returning my borrowed foam block to the back of the studio hall, walking across the floor and stepping in the puddles of OTHER PEOPLE’S SWEAT. Then dragging the collective sweat around the floor and stepping in other people’s collective sweat + feet sweat, which has been there for a a bit longer, so it’s slightly colder sweat.

Haha it’s sooooo gross!!

But thankfully I had a shower and I felt that beeeaaaautiful glow all over my body that reminded me why I love it so much. Kinda!

It’s such a blessing to be surrounded by good people and good food all the time….

Buuuut, I have to keep on top of my exercise, or I’ll feel absolutely terrible, lethargic, moody and have poor sleep. Not to mention, I’ll probably gain 5kgs with all the eating.

Here’s a rough look at my routine at the moment.

Sunday – Run 5km

Monday – Yoga

Tuesday – Walk

Wednesday – Run 5km

Thursday – Yoga or Strength

Friday – Nothing!

Saturday – Nothing!

For my strength exercises, I’ve been doing a bit of Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Workout (not that I’m aiming for a bikini body) I’m just looking for exercise routines.

I pulled a muscle in my neck a while ago, which rendered me useless for a few weeks. It was so frustrating to get into a good exercise momentum, get so far in my strength, then have to go back to square one. Sigh.

But hey, we have to look after our bodies right? I can only do what I can with what I have.

I’ve been getting back into a routine of doing video workouts at home!

Usually I have a list of sets to do, such as 10 x jump squats, 10 x jack knives, 20 x pushups.

But sometimes I want to MIX IT UP and I need some ideas on things to do.

So I really enjoy doing video workouts on Youtube, because they are quick and easy (28 minutes and you’re done!), convenient, easy to set up, I don’t have to drive anywhere, I can squeeze them in anytime, and I can just wear my crappy gym clothes haha!

It’s an easy way to get my heart rate up, sweat a bit, and get my endorphins going.

But it does take some discipline to MAKE time and COMMIT to them, as I can get easily distracted at home haha.

I recently joined Next Gen Health and Lifestyle Club in Kings Park, and I am loving the aquatic facilities there.

I do one swim per week, which, admittedly, knocks me out for a few days, because I’m not used to all the swimming haha!

It has been fantastic for my cardio fitness, building muscle, burning calories – it’s a whole body workout for me.

The freestyle stroke has been particularly good for working out my upper body, and my arms feel stronger and more toned. It has definitely helped me build up my overall exercise stamina – yay!

Admittedly, I’m not great at swimming.

I used to be a pretty good swimmer – I was in the swim team in Primary School! And before kids, I used to swim in the ocean, go snorkelling and scuba diving.

But in the last 10 or so years, I think I would go for a swim about once a year – oops!

Anyway, I’m slowly trying to change that. I believe that doing a wide variety of fitness activities is good for the soul… and it opens your mind and body up to new learning experiences and new brain connections.

For relaxation, I like to use the outside pool.

I don’t do any fast swimming there. I like to have a slow breaststroke swim, so I can soak in the view and just enjoy the moment of moving through water in the sunshine. It’s like a gentle meditation!

Then I like to wind down in the spa and sauna.

And then to finish off my afternoon, I like to enjoy a soy coffee and banana cake in the Club’s café before rushing off to pick up my kids.

Each gym had their pros and cons. And overall, each gym fulfilled a very particular fitness need I had at the time. So I enjoyed all of them!

My decision whether or not to join or leave a gym is always based on my personal circumstances at the time and where I am on my fitness journey – and I’m sure everyone makes decisions about gyms this way.

It’s a very different approach to how I usually choose a gym, but I’ve tried my best to give honest and objective opinions about all the facilities, how those opinions came about and why I was practically falling over myself to try it!

Check out the rooftop pool!

Oh hey, I joined a gym and it’s a bit awesome haha!

Next Gen have clubs all around Australia, and they have two gyms in Perth: one in Kings Park and one in Bibra Lake.

I jumped / squealed / gasped in shock at this opportunity to try out the Kings Park Club, because… it was my HOLY GRAIL of gyms!

Next Gen in Kings Park has been running for 10 years. They also run the Royal Kings Park Tennis Club, which has been going for almost 120 years, so the whole place is FULL of rich, local history in community fitness and luxurious, active lifestyle.

Basically, everyone in Perth knows about the tennis club and gym at Kings Park. It’s like a local institution! I’ve known about it for YEARS, I’ve heard so many good things about it, I’ve always wanted to try it, and omg this is the first time I have stepped inside – woohoo!

So am I being a bit biased? I have 10 years of fanciful dreaming… so, possibly!

Me about to start a RPM class!

First Impressions
This place is not just a gym. It’s like an established country club. They call it a Health and Lifestyle Club. It is presented very well, is very spacious, very well looked after, slick, polished and clean.

The place is 4 storeys high, filled with big windows, lots of natural light and amazing views of Kings Park and the Perth city skyline.

Most gyms around the 10-year mark look a bit run down. Carpets, handrails, door catches, and tiles tend to look a bit old, worn and unkempt. But this place looks fantastic.

Everything from the training machines and RPM bikes, to the steam and sauna rooms, to the lounge chairs and tables, to the hairdryers in the change rooms – all look new and ultra modern. I believe the place has been newly renovated.

Everything seems to run super efficiently. The staff are well organised, very helpful and friendly. Every time I ask someone a question, they all know exactly what to do, who to call, how to make it happen and will follow it up with a phone call or email. Love that customer service.

Overall, it doesn’t feel TOO posh or TOO over-the-top fancy – which is an aspect I like. I’ve been in super-fancy hotel gyms, where you get the impression that they are not serious about fitness and gym functionality at all, just how cool and luxurious it all looks!

In terms of the other members, well I can’t say for certain, but during the times I’ve been at the club, I’ve seen a wide range of ages – young and old, in every beautiful shape and size!

So I don’t feel out of place or intimidated at all – which is also another important factor for me.

Boxing time!

The Gym and Fitness Area
The gym covers a huge area and it is outstanding!

Again, there is lots of natural light; it’s all very spacious, new and clean.

Most of the classes run back to back and sometimes 3 classes run at the same time. A few times I’ve stayed and completed 2 classes, one after the other.

I really like the variety of the classes being offered, as it stops me from getting bored and keeps my fitness motivation high. That’s always a good aspect about joining a gym.

The trainers are lovely, friendly and professional.

I love the fact that while there is a receptionist at the front of the whole building, there is also a “reception” for the gym area.

Someone is always manning the front of the gym, so I can ask him or her anything gym or workout related. They are not busy with other clients, or leading a class, or cleaning equipment. I don’t feel like I’m interrupting them, thus they are always approachable and helpful.

If I had to point out a down side, I felt the treadmill was so advanced that I got a bit flustered trying to work it. Basically you can do things like load your own TV series from a USB, surf the internet (online shopping anyone?), or you can choose running routes which comes with moving scenery so you can feel like you’re running in the Canadian mountains…. Or something like that!

(Thankfully the lovely trainer on duty showed me how to use the simple run function!)

Starting my day with a slow and steady swim.

The Pool and Aquatics
Next Gen Kings Park has a 20m indoor pool (heated to 28C) and a 20m outdoor rooftop pool (heated to 23C). It also has a therapeutic spa, steam room and sauna.

Oh hey, I’ve decided that I want to take some adult swimming lessons!

I’d like to do a triathlon some time in the future, and while my running and cycling are both ok, I’d like some tips on how to improve my strokes and swim better.

Haven’t started them yet. Will let you know how I go.

In the meantime, I’ve been building up my swimming stamina by doing slow laps in the pool.

The indoor pool is gorgeously warm. Perfect for a slow and steady pace. I usually get really cold in regular pools, so I try to swim faster, but my strokes get sloppy and I end up making myself tired and dizzy! I just don’t last very long. I’m hoping to improve that.

The outdoor pool is amazing because you can swim with the incredible view looking out over the city! Plus the lounge chairs are great for relaxing and soaking up a bit of sun.

They also run aqua aerobics classes and kids swimming lessons.

After a swim, hot shower and blow dried hair!

The Members Lounge
Oh my gosh. This did not disappoint. The Members Lounge is like a very classy, very modern, business class airline lounge. There is a mixture of big, lush lounge chairs with low café tables for relaxing and reading a newspaper; and a more upmarket café-style seating area for eating meals or working on a laptop.

The adjoining café serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee, juices and is a licenced bar. There is also free wifi and a business zone with computers available for use.

I think the Members Lounge is the heart of the Next Gen, which sets it apart from all the other gyms that I’ve been to.

It has a very relaxed, inviting atmosphere to hang out, stay, eat, work, talk, be active, and enjoy life. It feels very positive and holistic.

I love it’s understated vibe, the effortless atmosphere, the quiet buzz of individuals, the welcoming comfort, and the luxury of the facilities.

It is a very nice place to chill after a workout, read a book, have a coffee, or whip out my laptop and catch up on emails before I get on with the rest of my day.

I’m not a tennis player, but I do plan to take my kids along to smash some tennis balls for a fun workout.

We might even try a game of squash in their indoor squash courts.

Ready for a yoga class!

Family Activities

The whole place is quite family friendly. There’s a crèche, fitness classes for kids, swimming lessons for kids, tennis coaching, holiday activities, children’s parties and kids are welcomed in the pool areas.

Initially, this didn’t really appeal to me, because I like to keep my “gym time” separate to “kids time”. But it made me realise this fact:

During the school holidays, and particularly during the Christmas and New Year break, my attendance to the gym significantly decreases. Sometimes I would go 3-4 weeks without going to the gym! And it pains me to think of all the money I wasted.

So with such a family focused gym, I could take the kids swimming during the school holidays, put them in tennis or swimming lessons while I did a workout, or use the crèche, or sign them up for the school holiday programmes or just hang out with them in the pool or tennis courts and take a walk through Kings Park.

I guess if I could afford it, this would seem like an incredible way to keep up my gym activities during the school holidays!

Pricing
In terms of pricing, there are so many membership options, levels, variations and time lengths available, so you just have to find one that suits your needs and lifestyle.

The best way to get connected is to pop over to the Next Gen website to make an enquiry.

I’d say, looking at the prime location, the premium facilities, the historic tennis club, all the amazing services, the member’s lounge, the luxurious atmosphere and café… it is probably not for everyone and you will get what you pay for, but you might be surprised at the same time.

In Conclusion…
This has been my best gym experience by far!

I still have 2 more months of my 3-month membership to go. And I’m whole-heartedly looking forward to using it as much as I can.

So the big question is: Would I actually choose to sign up for a full membership?

My answer: YES, but not at the moment. I have my heart set on doing a triathlon (or two) in the next few years, so I am hoping to do a lot more outdoor running and cycling. This doesn’t go very well with a gym membership. So for me, the timing is not quite right.

Special Offer to Try 10 days for $20!

Next Gen are offering all my readers a super special offer: Try 10 days for $20!

This applies to ANY Next Gen Club around Australia and New Zealand! But it’s only available until Tuesday 21st March.

This is such an amazing deal! Even if you come in to take a peek, go for a pilates class, try out some weight machines, use the change rooms to change into your bathers, take a swim in the outside pool, sit on the lounge and soak up a bit of sun, pop down to the cafe to have a coffee and banana bread – that would take about 2-3 hours and definitely worth more than $20.

We had a kids party last weekend and I ate waaaay too much crappy, party food.

So I came down with a bit of food poisoning (actually it was just diarrhoea SORRY TOO MUCH INFO!!), I felt totally drained and tired all week and I did pretty much NOTHING exercisey.

Sunday: Prepping for a kids party all day. The running around after 10 kids! No actual exercising though.

Monday: Felt bad all day. I played a netball game in the evening. The other team had only 5 players against our 7, so we won 33 to 4 points. Terrible game. No one tried very hard. I hardly worked up a sweat. So after the game I went to a local sports field and tried to do a standard 5km run. I could only handle 2kms of slow, weak plodding because I felt so bad/drained. I felt angry, pissed off and SO frustrated with my body. I even had a bit of a cry because I felt so crappy!

Tuesday: Nothing

Wednesday: Nothing

Thursday: Nothing

Friday: Nothing

Saturday: Nothing

Sunday (today): Nothing!

On the up side, my weight went down haha! There’s nothing like a bit of gastro to flush out my system :P